With snow forecast to cause major disruption, many people will have difficulty travelling to work, so it's worthwhile taking a look at the rights workers have:
Employees are not entitled to pay if they are unable to travel to work because of adverse weather. However, many employers have contractual or informal arrangements to deal with this.
If an employer decides to close for the day, workers can be asked to take paid holiday but only if adequate notice is given. This must be at least double the length of time of the annual leave. So, as an example, for one day's annual leave, there must be two day's notice. However, different notice periods may apply according to contracts.
Unless it is stated in the contract, employers cannot force workers to take unpaid time off, so able workers should still be paid if the employer decides to shut for the day. They may, however, be asked to work from home if possible or make up the time later. That said, the employer cannot usually deduct pay if the workplace is closed because of disruption and the employee does not usually work from home or there is not a contractual right to either require them to make up time or work from another location.
If a worker has childcare issues because of school closures and they cannot make alternative arrangements, they may be able to take emergency leave.
